System and methods for enabling efficient shipping and delivery
A method for recipient-initiated shipping includes receiving, at an internet connected server, recipient data (including a first shipping address) from a shipping recipient; providing delivery options to the shipping recipient based on a set of delivery option criteria and the recipient data; receiving a delivery choice from the shipping recipient; and notifying at least one of a shipping sender and a shipping carrier of the delivery choice.
1. A method for recipient-initiated shipping comprising:
receiving, at an internet connected server, recipient data from a shipping recipient through a shipping services platform application programming interface (API) facilitating a programmatic interface between the shipping recipient, a shipping sender, and a shipping carrier, generated from a shipping device remote from the internet connected server; wherein recipient data comprises a first shipping address;
generating delivery options based on processing a set of delivery option criteria and the recipient data with a first set of rules associated with delivery cost and location-associated parameters,
wherein the delivery cost is obtained from querying for pricing data through a shipping carrier API associated with the shipping carrier; and
wherein processing the delivery option criteria and recipient data comprises deriving a shipping score from one or more of:
a first metric associated with successful past deliveries to a location;
a second metric associated with delivery speed to the location; and
a third metric associated with customer satisfaction with the shipping carrier; and
wherein generating the delivery options comprises:
generating an internal quote of a cost paid to the shipping carrier based on the recipient data and the pricing data received from the shipping carrier API associated with the shipping carrier;
generating an external quote of a cost to at least one of the shipping sender and the shipping recipient based on the internal quote and the shipping score, wherein generating the external quote comprises: determining that the shipping score is outside a shipping score range; and, in response to determining that the shipping score is outside the shipping score range, adjusting the external quote based on the internal quote and the shipping score;
wherein the delivery options comprise at least the external quote;
providing the delivery options, through the shipping services platform API, at a graphical user interface of the shipping device, to the shipping recipient;
receiving a delivery choice from the shipping recipient from a recipient device remote from the shipping device and the internet connected server, based on the first set of rules; wherein receiving the delivery choice comprises receiving a delivery option selection through the shipping services platform API; and
notifying at least one of the shipping sender and the shipping carrier of the delivery choice at the shipping device.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing delivery options comprises providing the shipping recipient with a graphical interface that displays to the shipping recipient an alterable delivery window and, in response to delivery window alteration, alters delivery option availability.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing delivery options further comprises altering delivery option price in response to delivery window alteration.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of delivery option criteria includes shipping carriers and shipping types; wherein the set of delivery option criteria is set by the shipping sender.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the set of delivery option criteria is set automatically based on the recipient data.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recognizing the shipping recipient as a known shipping recipient and accessing a user profile linked to the shipping recipient.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the user profile is linked to a set of delivery preferences; wherein providing delivery options further comprises providing delivery options based on the set of delivery preferences.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the user profile includes both a first address and a second address linked to the shipping recipient; wherein providing delivery options further comprises providing delivery options for both the first address and the second address.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein one of the first and second addresses is linked to the shipping recipient as a billing address and not as a shipping address.
10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving a notification from the shipping carrier and sending a response to the notification based on the set of delivery preferences.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accepting payment from the shipping recipient or the shipping sender according to the external quote and sending payment to the shipping carrier based on the internal quote.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising computing an insurance score; wherein providing delivery options further comprises providing insurance options according to the insurance score.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the insurance score is computed based on local delivery success rates.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the shipping score is further derived from a fourth metric associated with theft data.
15. A method for sender-initiated shipping comprising:
receiving, at an internet connected server of a shipping services platform, recipient data from a shipping sender, through a shipping services platform application programming interface (API) facilitating a programmatic interface between the shipping sender, a shipping recipient, and a shipping carrier, at a shipping device remote from the internet connected server; wherein recipient data comprises a first shipping address;
generating delivery options based on processing a set of delivery option criteria and the recipient data with a first set of rules associated with delivery cost and location-associated parameters,
wherein the delivery cost is obtained from querying for pricing data through a shipping carrier API associated with the shipping carrier; and
wherein processing the delivery option criteria and recipient data comprises deriving a shipping score from one or more of:
a first metric associated with successful past deliveries to a location;
a second metric associated with delivery speed to the location; and
a third metric associated with customer satisfaction with the shipping carrier; and
wherein generating the delivery options comprises:
generating an internal quote of a cost paid to the shipping carrier based on the recipient data and the pricing data received from the shipping carrier API associated with the shipping carrier; and
generating an external quote of a cost to at least one of the shipping sender and the shipping recipient based on the internal quote and shipping risk, wherein generating the external quote comprises: determining that the shipping score is outside a shipping score range; and, in response to determining that the shipping score is outside the shipping score range, adjusting the external quote based on the internal quote and the shipping score;
providing delivery options, through the shipping services platform API, to the shipping sender;
receiving a delivery choice from the shipping sender; wherein receiving the delivery choice comprises receiving a delivery option selection through the shipping services platform API; and
notifying at least one of the shipping recipient, at a recipient device remote from the internet connected server and the shipping device, and the shipping carrier, at a carrier device remote from the internet connected server, the shipping device, and the recipient device, of the delivery choice.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising verifying the first shipping address using a shipping database of the shipping services platform.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising generating estimated shipping speeds using the shipping database.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising causing printing of a shipping label for the sender-initiated shipping at a printer associated with the shipping sender, based on the delivery choice selection received through the shipping services platform API from the shipping sender.